EVEN a devastating diagnosis didn?t keep his mind off basketball. Upon learning that his next opponent was the Big C, star cager Romel Adducul asked doctors what seemed to him as the most logical question.

?My first thought was whether I can still play. Maybe I should have asked the doctors first if I?m already dying," Adducul shares in Filipino. ?I guess if basketball is really your passion, whatever happens in your life, you still want to keep playing.?

The diagnosis came 10 months ago, after Adducul?s Purefoods teammates noticed a lump on his neck. But at that time, the game again proved more important for the 6-foot-6 power forward, who had the monicker ?The General.?

?We were in the middle of a championship series, that?s why I didn?t have it checked right away. Sometimes in the morning, my nose would bleed, but I ignored it. I thought I?ve always been healthy and I shouldn?t worry. My focus was really on the championship,? says Adducul. ?My wife, who?s a doctor, gave me antibiotics. But I agreed to have it diagnosed after the championship.?

Test results turned out positive for nasopharyngeal cancer, a type of cancer that develops in the area at the back of the nose. ?The lump on my neck grew after I delayed my checkup for a few days. It was very aggressive. My cancer was at stage 3, but the good thing was, the doctors said that nasopharyngeal cancer is curable,? adds Adducul. ?My wife still wanted to be sure, so she made me go through different tests?bone scan, CT scan, MRI.?

It turned out to be a good move. Another nasopharyngeal cancer patient Adducul met in the hospital passed away after later tests showed that the cancer had spread to his bones.

?It?s also good to have a wife who?s a doctor. She anticipated everything,? he says. ?We even helped that patient. His cancer was aggressive, like mine.?

While Adducul initially accepted the disease as just another off-court battle, the 32-year-old cager eventually grappled with the reality and pain of treatment.

?In my first two sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I thought, I can do this. I always think positive every time I have a problem. I just think of it as a trial that I can overcome,? recalls Adducul. ?But there were too many side effects, I felt like my body was giving up. It was like a life and death experience. There was a time that I really felt depressed.?

The emotional roller-coaster ride many cancer patients go through also hit Adducul. ?There was a time that I really questioned God,? he reveals. ?When you?re going through so much pain, I guess you really question him. I also asked, ?Why me?? I?m an athlete, I?ve always lived a healthy life. But it?s also good that I had found a relationship with God even before I got sick. I just kept praying. My faith helped me.?

Little wonder, too, that basketball kept Adducul going. He regularly dropped by his comfort zones?the court, the gym and the weights room?and even graced a collegiate league opening.

?People still saw me when I was losing my hair, when my face was already growing darker because of the radiation, and I had already lost about 15 pounds,? says Adducul. ?But eventually, I couldn?t get out anymore. My immune system was down and I could no longer be out in public places. I was isolated. For six months, I just shuttled between my house and the hospital.?

It?s a change too drastic for an athlete constantly on the move and used to a life of cheers and adulation.

?I totally had no physical activity. I just watched TV and read the Bible and books of encouragement,? says Adducul. ?The treatment was really hard. There was even a point when I told my wife to inject me with something so that I?ll just die. I think you can?t avoid reaching that point.?

The period also proved heartbreaking for Adducul?s wife Joy, his parents Maria and Gregorio and the rest of his family in his hometown in Tuguegarao.

?My wife has been a great help. She?s always there during the times that I needed encouragement. But of course, sometimes she can?t help it, she cries when she knows I?m in pain or I can no longer eat,? he says. ?My parents visit regularly, but I don?t really encourage them because they?re old and it?s difficult for them.?

Right now, though, Adducul believes the worst is behind him. But the genial athlete admits he?s still just a shadow of the player who impressively bagged the Most Valuable Player plum multiple times, both in the amateur and professional leagues.

?Last September, just one month after my last chemo, I returned to practice. But of course, a lot has changed,? he says. ?I?m trying to keep up with my teammates, but the doctors told me I should stop every time I feel tired. There?s a lot of maintenance that I should do, like having a lifetime cleaning of my nasal pharynx. There are also monitoring tests every six months ?

Although Adducul proved healthy enough to get reactivated back to the Purefoods lineup, he could tell some things are still missing.

?I know I?m just at 70 percent, but I?m gradually recovering,? he says. ?I didn?t play for six months, so my muscles sagged. I couldn?t run as fast, I couldn?t jump as high as before. Sometimes my hands feel numb. I?m still trying to gradually regain my strength. Of course, sometimes I also worry, what if it recurs? So my wife reminds me that if I really want to play again, I should ignore those things.?

So far, Adducul is holding holds on to his faith, happily surprised that his greatest conquest came off court.